Understanding, and making sense of, large economic networks is an increasingly important problem from an economic perspective, due to the ever-widening gap between technological advances in constructing such networks, and our ability to predict and estimate their properties. Throughout history, various concepts have been developed to reduce the inherent complexity found in large economic systems, thereby rendering them more amenable to economic analysis.

A paper by Miguel Leon-Ledesma and Mathan Satchi entitled ‘Appropriate technology and balanced growth’ has been accepted for publication at the Review of Economic Studies, one of the leading journals in Economics. A non-technical summary of the paper, previously published in the school’s Discussion Paper series, can be found here.

Shoppers usually claim they buy organic food because it is environmentally friendly and has higher standards of animal welfare. However, research has found that in reality better taste and health benefits are key motivators for buying organic produce.

Lecturer Dr Adelina Gschwandtner from the School of Economics, analysed the organic shopping habits of consumers in Canterbury to discover their price thresholds and rationale for buying organic foods such as chicken, milk, bananas, carrots and apples.

Dr Maria Garcia-Alonso from the School of Economics has been awarded a partnership in a framework contract for the provision of expertise on strategic trade control-related activities. The framework contract will provide the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission with technical expertise and support from external academia experts with proven experience in the field for thematic multi-disciplinary research work, preparation of training material and delivery of training, editorial and web support content.

What causes labor coercion? It appears informally in most economies, but in some it prevails as a formal system of slavery or serfdom, with wide economic repercussions. Serfdom existed in most European economies for long periods between c. 800 and c. 1860. In many serf economies, most rural families were obliged to do coerced labor for landlords. Since the rural economy produced 80 to 90 percent of pre-industrial GDP, serfdom affected the majority of economic activity.